What's the deal with Castor oil and Jamaican Black Castor Oil?

Castor oil and Jamaican Black Castor oil are two products that are frequently mentioned on natural hair blogs and forums. To date I have only tried the Home Health brand of Castor oil and my hair loves it so much that I believe I am on my third bottle already (in less than 2 years).

Initially I started doing a Castor oil challenge which consisted of applying Castor oil mixed with a lighter oil to my scalp 2-3 times a week. Prior to the challenge I had some scalp issues that included flaking and itching, especially in the crown area. After the challenge was over I noticed that even now I don't have any problems with flaking and even though my scalp still itches at times, there has been a great improvement to the amount of itching that I was experiencing. Castor oil acts as a humectant so it's possible that the Castor oil helped to draw in some much needed moisture to my scalp and roots. I know that many individuals are adamantly against oiling the scalp but it worked for me and when it comes to my hair I do what works. You should always do the say for your hair.

While researching information regarding the difference between Castor oil and Jamaican Black Castor oil I came upon the Tropic Isle Living site and there is actually has short statement on their site explaining the difference. According to the site the major difference is that the Castor beans for the JBCO are roasted until the brown color is reached and the oil is extracted. I wasn't able to find a lot of information about JBCO from reliable sources so we will just have to educate each other (leave comments below). Castor oil is typically extracted from the seed of Ricinus communis Linn. When the slow roasting is omitted, it makes sense that the color would remain light and not turn the brown color of the JBCO. (This is coming from a girl that just browned some white chocolate by accident the other day - on low heat btw)

There are numerous articles available that further explain the medicinal and health & beauty benefits that can result from the use of Castor oil. In your free time you may want to Google Castor oil and read some of that information for your self.

In your opinion is a huge difference between JBCO and CO? Which do you prefer?

I haven't tried JBCO (yet) but my sister has so I am turning to her for a first-hand review. Coming up...my sister reviews Jamaican Black Castor Oil


References
Tropical Isle Living Castor Oil Comparison

Welch, Holme, & Clark Co - Castor Oil
Castor Oil Facts
The Beauty Brains

PJ-ism, a growing epidemic?

Epidemic
1. (esp of a disease) attacking or affecting many persons simultaneously in a community or area
2. a widespread occurrence of a disease: an influenza epidemic
3. a rapid development, spread, or growth of something, espsomething unpleasant: an epidemic of strikes


Product bandwagons and growth aid fads are some aspects of the natural/healthy hair journey hair world that never sat right with me. This feeling primarily came from some bad experiences with some regimen fads and money wasted on products that did not yield desirable results. There is nothing worse in your hair care journey than the feeling of a major setback. I fell victim to a few fades and feared that all my time and effort toward healthy hair was ruined. Thankfully, none of the perceived damage was permanent.

Recently, I read a post on Natural Urbanista that perfectly put my feelings about these trends into words. In my opinion it's an interesting read, check it out here:
Are Bloggers and Hair Sites Contributing to Your Growing PJ-ism?

I do feel that in a way PJ-ism is an epidemic in the natural/healthy healthy hair journey world. Some days you can bounce from blog-to-blog and site-to-site and see the same products or tools raved about (or bashed). This has even rolled over onto YouTube and it is not outside of the norm to see vloggers reviewing and posting tutorials about the same products within a close time period.

Do you think blogs/vlogs/sites are contributing to PJ-ism? What are your thoughts on this?

Another option for unwanted products

 So, you have recycled and re-purposed as many hair care products as you can but yet you STILL find yourself stuck with a ton of items you don't want anymore. Now what?

Maybe you will find Lola's Green Hair helpful. This site is dedicated to helping you buy and sell those gently used hair care products.

Have you used this site? What are your thoughts?

Are you moisturizing when you condition?

How well do you really know the type of conditioner that you are using? Unfortunately, the FDA does not regulate the labeling of cosmetic products as strictly as food and medications and this allows companies to make almost any claim that they please.So are you really using a moisturizing conditioner or do you need to follow-up your condition with an actual moisturizer? This information may be helpful for someone out there battling the common problem of  that dry winter hair.

Check out this article posted by Jc of The Natural Haven: Difference Between a Moisturizer and a Conditioner

What conditioner and moisturizer combo are you using this winter?

I'm using Giovanni SAS conditioner and then moisturizing with a leave-in conditioner. Since having the yarn braids I have been relying on my hair steamer for moisture. According to the article my conditioner choices are good for moisturizing my hair.

Re-purposing those Products

[Source]

When I have products that I am using and not liking I don't just throw them away. Depending on how badly the product worked for me I may not be too comfortable giving it to someone else. If the product wasn't bad but just didn't yield the results I expected I will take it to a meet-up/product swap.

Shampoo
When I have a shampoo that I am not liking enough to finish off the bottle on my hair I find other things around the house that could use some "soap."
-Dog shampoo (Mane and Tail worked great on him)
-Hand soap (refill the dispensers)
-Hair Tool cleaner (combs, brushes, accessories...etc)

Conditioner
-Shaving (I haven't tried but I see this recommendation a lot)
-Dry hair detangling aid (use it for work - not conditioning)

Gel
-I have found anything - any suggestions?

Sprays/Spritz
- Reuse the bottle for your own mix

Fall/Winter 2010 Regimen (part 2)

Some of the products I want/plan to experiment/try again this season:

Shampoo:

Giovanni SAS - I have used this once and didn't like the feeling, however I was unable to prepoo before using because I was away from home

Dudu-Osum Liquid Black Soap - this is not an experiment, I am bring this back into my regimen because I have used it and my hair loves it.

Conditioner:

Suave Aloe Vera & Ginseng - Honestly I have used this and I loved it. However, I didn't purchase it again because I had other conditioners that I need to use up before buying more.

Aubrey Organic HoneySuckle Rose - I keep hearing so many good things about this and I am just curious

Deep Conditioner:

Still deliberating...

Stylers:

Koils by Nature Heavenly Delight - my hair simply melts with butters and I love the consistency of the Koils by Nature butters

Other:

Castor Oil

Jasmine Oil

Amla Oil

-I want to incorporate more oils into my overall product rotation and hair regimen so I will be attempting to some how include oil in at least 50% of my regimens from this point forward

The first day of Fall is September 23...I plan to start this reggie around that time.

I am open to any comments, opinions, and/or suggestions about the products list above.

Hair Diet Summary

Well June is over and I made it the entire month without silicones or sulfates. My hair feels fabulous!

During the month of June, I used:

Dudu-Osum Herbal Shampoo

Giovanni SAS, 50:50, and TTT

Kimmaytube Leave In Conditioner (with Giovanni Direct leave in)

Shea Moisture Shea Butter Leave in

I also did a henna treatment during the month of June.

The verdict:

The combinations of these products left my hair feeling soft and moisturized. I experienced less itching with my scalp and my shedding also decreased (strange??). My hair was also more manageable and easier to style. I am very satisfied and would recommend the use of natural/organic products to anyone.

I looked at my product stash last night and debated about repurchasing many of the items on the shelf. I am thinking that I would love to only use the products listed above or the ones that fall into the natural/organic category. This will require a complete re-haul of my stash. My non-natural/organic products far outweigh the amount of natural/organic products that I already own.

ugh....I need some coupons

Be a Money $aving Product Junkie

If you can't help but become a product junkie there are ways to go about it with a decreased feeling of guilt.

1. Don't jump on bandwagons! Seriously - a bandwagon almost ruined all my hard work. I have learned (the hard way) to let others experiment and then wait for the results.

2. Request samples. There are so many companies out there that will provide samples to potential customers that there is no need to go out and purchase full sized full priced products just to "try" them.

3. Shop the travel aisle. If a company does not provide samples try the travel aisle in your local retail/discount store. Those items are constantly changing so keep your eye on them to see if the product you are curious about makes the shelf.

4. Use coupons. The funniest thing to me is to be line behind a person that just paid full price for a product and then they hear my total being about 50% less...all because I used a coupon. Here is the trick: purchase the item only when on sale and use the coupon at the moment. Also, if the store has a VIP/MVP card, get one and use it.

5. Swap, Swap, Swap. When you RSVP "yes" to attend a meet-up, GO! (no one likes a slacker). Usually at meet ups there are product swaps and someone just might bring the product that you have been wanting.

Product Recommendations...

...are something that I shy away from. Why? Simply because I don't know anyone's hair well enough to tell them "This will work for you." or "This is what you should spend your hair earned money on."

I do get a lot of questions that revolve around "What products should I buy to XYZ?"

My answer: I don't know (seriously). What I can do is offer up a list of the products I use but the thing is, those products work for my hair. In order to determine what is best for your hair you need to assess your hair care needs. Basically, what issues are you looking to address?

Frizziness?

Dryness?

Split Ends?

Manageability?

Look for products that are designed to help with those issues.

It is going to take trial and error to discover the products that work for your hair so the one thing I can suggest is ways to save money while on the search. Some companies offer travel size products so instead of spending a lot on a full size item that you might not like, opt for the travel size version before investing. Visit the website of the product you are interested in and see if they provide free samples. If you don't see a link for free samples on their webpage - contact them, sometimes companies want consumers to do a little "work" for what things they desire. Plus this helps the company cut costs because so many people will not contact the company for samples and will just go buy the full size, full priced item.

You have not because you ask not.

Another option is to read product reviews. On a number of product websites there are links that customers use to provide feedback. Browse through a couple of sites and read some reviews. It just may help with your decision making.

Good luck on your product search!

I'm going on a diet!!

LOL, I know someone just said some explicit....but I am not going on a weight loss diet, I am going on a Hair Diet: No 'cones or sulfates.

While on my self imposed cornrow challenge I have decided to add another element. I am only going to use sulfate free and cone free products for the month long challenge. I've never noticed a differenc in my hair with product before but then again I did not use any of the sulfate free and cone free products consistently.

I choose my products after examining these lists:

http://www.longhaircommunity.com/archive/showthread.php?t=34009

http://sites.google.com/site/ladylonghair/'cone-freeconditioners

I will be using:

Dudu Osun Herbal Shampoo

Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat conditioner or Giovanni Smooth As Silk

Shea Moisture Shea Butter Leave in

List of Sulfate Free Shampoos

The Long Hair Community Sulfate-free shampoo list

Heat Protection

My plans for the end of the Castor Oil challenge originally included a roller-set so that I could get an idea of how much length I had retained by the end of winter. I decided to also flat-iron for a super straight look that is now rare for me.

Because I now care about what I do to my hair I want to take proper precautions so I started doing my research on heat protectants. I never used one before because I didn't know any better.

What I found was:

-heat protectants work by coating the hair and protecting it during heat styling

-most heat protectants contain dimethicones and other -cones to protect the hair

-a good heat protectant has a low thermal conductivity (it absorbs heat)

-they can serve as protection from UV rays (hmmm?)

-if your hair is wet, heat can cause the water in the hair shaft to boil/steam which can cause the hair shaft to burst

-thermal protectors coat the hair with polymers and provide topical protection

-no amount of product can fully protect your hair from heat

Here is the product that I am going to try:

WISH ME LUCK!!!!

All-Star Lineup

For the past few weeks I have been using the same combination of products and amazingly received the same results each time. I think I have found my all-star lineup!

Pre-poo: Dabur Jasmine Oil

Detangle: Suave Tropical Coconut Conditioner

Shampoo: Suave Humectant Shampoo

Conditioner: Herbal Essence Hello Hydration

Leave-in Conditioner: SheaMoisture Shea Butter Leave-in

Moisturizer: Care Free Curl Instant Moisturizer

Styler: Spring Shea Butter Mix

It is a great feeling to have an arsenal that you know works for you. The products listed leave my hair feeling moisturized, soft, easy to detangle, and extremely manageable.

It took some time and patience but I feel like I have truly learned my hair. Many of the products above are new to me and they were chosen by the way of me looking at the ingredients in each product. A while back, per a suggestion from CurlyNikki.com Curly Chemist Dajewel, I listed out the ingredients in products that I was currently using. From that I have been able to just read a product and predict how it would work on my hair. So far so good.

How I use the products:

I pre-poo for 1 hour, finger detangle under running water with the Suave tropical coconut. During this step I am separating my hair into two sections, one on each side. Then I shampoo each side gently massaging my scalp and bringing the soap down my length with slinging my hair all around (that equals tangles), I also use my shower comb at this step to detangle further. After both sides are shampooed and rinsed I apply HE HH to each section and use claw clips to pin them up. I leave the conditioner in while I got through my regular wash routine. The last thing I do before getting out of the shower is rinse the conditioner out with my modified Conair cushion base brush (by modified I mean that I removed every other row of bristles). Then I plait each side.

Once out of the shower I un-plait each side and apply my leave-in conditioner. If I am not going to style my hair immediately I plait it back up. If I am going to style I spray on my moisturizer and seal with the shea butter mix as I go.

This routine changes if I am bunning. Instead of plaiting I form my pony tail in the shower and I don't completely rinse out the HE HH conditioner. Then I apply my leave-in, moisturizer, and shea butter to the exposed ponytail hair.

With this routine I continue to stick to my rule of 3 with my finishing products. Only the (1) leave-in, (2) moisturizer, and (3) shea butter.

In The News:

Suit claims ‘natural’ hair growth product really has minoxidil

A dozen Chicago area residents and patrons of the institute filed a consumer fraud suit alleging that while the company claims the products are natural and chemical-free, testing on those same products showed evidence of minoxidil — an active ingredient in Rogaine and other hair re-growth products.

American Hair Growth Centers

To read the entire story click the title above.

Regimen and Product Finale

Nearing the end of the winter season this is how my regimen and product use ended up looking:

Shampoo
Carol's Daughter Black Vanilla Herbal Shampoo (received at a swap)

Suave Tropical Coconut Shampoo

Deep Conditioners
Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat

Lustrasilk Shea Butter Cholesterol

Co-washing Conditioners
Suave Tropical Coconut Conditioner
Herbal Essence Hello Hydration

Leave-In Conditioners
Never found one I liked enough to try or use consistently

Moisturizers
Aloe Gro Treatment (used on ends and on scalp)

Kemi Oyl Conditioning Spray

Oils
Coconut Oil (prepoo)

Olive Oil (prepoo)

Avocado Oil (mixed with Castor oil)

Castor Oil (mixed with Avocado oil)
Peppermint Oil (used in Aloe gro)
Rosemary Oil (used in Aloe gro)

Usually mixed together in different variations when used.

Styling Products
IC Aloe Vera Gel (for slicking back hair for buns)

FOTE Aloe Vera Gel (roller sets)

Shea Butter (for twists)

Special Treatments

Protein: 1 egg & 1 tbs olive oil added to Lustrasilk Shea Butter Cholesterol
Pre-poo: generous amount of coconut oil applied to hair and left overnight

Henna: NOT done during the winter season only because I have decided to Henna just twice a year
Oil Rinse: only done after shampoos

Hair Styles
Buns were worn for the majority of the winter season

Two strand twists were worn a few times

Roller sets were done for special occasions

Hair Challenges

Castor Oil Challenge (group challenge)

Bun Challenge (self challenge)

Regimen

Last weekend of the month - shampoo on that Saturday

Protective style Sunday - Tuesday

Cowash - Tuesday night

Protective Style - Wednesday → Friday

Pre-poo (before shampoo only) → Friday night (overnight)

It seems like this is a lot to use on one head but I like to alternate products and I also use no more than three different products on my head at a time after washing and conditioning. This is my way of keep my hair care regimen simple and effective. I had a great time with my hair this winter and learned something new about my scalp. Now it's time to learn my spring/summer hair.

Hello Spring I see you coming!

Silicone Free Products

In case you were wondering:

Silicone Free Products List

Product Recycling

This is not what you expect.....LOL

I had a huge bottle of Mane N Tail and I really don't like it. It's not bad but it's not great and therefore is a waste of my time. So I gave it away.....to the dog :) Hey, it's made for horses (an animal) so I figured using it on the dog (an animal) would be fine. So far is okay and not smelling. Anything that helps his body odor I love!

TYSON

(Pitbull)

Good Guide Product Search

This morning while doing an ingredient search for some products I am curious about I came across Good Guide. This website allows you to search a product (any kind) and obtain information on how safe that product is for use and it's environmental and societal impact. Pretty cool. I am going to start using this regularly when I am considering a product switch.

I searched one of my staple products Suave Tropical Coconut Conditioner:

What does Good Guide have to say about your products?

Healthy Hair Care on a Budget

I have noticed a lot of so-called "quality" hair care items can be on the pricey side. So what is a girl on a budget to do? Get creative and put those brain cells to use! Many products can be made right in your own kitchen. I know buying products is more of a convenience...but when you make your own, just make a lot-the amount you would pay for anyway. Additionally, you can make the product just like your hair likes it.

You want a good moisturizing quality shampoo...
Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap, because you have to dilute this soap-it lasts quite a while. Search the web for mixing/dilution options

You need a conditoner for cowashing...
VO5 & Suave are two brands that always affordable, sometimes less than $1

Deep conditioners are only good when then cost a lot....NOT!
Get a cholestoral conditioner (Lustrasilk, LeKair) and add some oil (olive, coconut, jojoba, etc) to it. I like to mix 1 cup of conditioner with almost 1/2 cup of olive oil and some essential oils.

Styling Aids....gotta have 'em
Organic Aloe Vera Gel....make it into a spritz, add it to a pomade, or use it to make a holding gel. The options are only limited by your creativity
Sweet Almond oil...a little goes a long way and gives awesome shine

So there you have it wallet friendly cleansing, conditioning, and styling. All it takes is a little research.

Product Ingredients

Per a suggestion from the Curly Chemist, Dajewel, on Curly Nikki, I went through some of my products that are currently in my house and wrote down the top five ingredients. This was to see what ingredients they have in common and they way those products with commonalities respond to my hair.

The products on this list that I don't like or can live without include:

Mane N Tail Shampoo

Soft & Precious Detangling

Organics Shea Butter Detangling Hair Lotion

The one I love include:

All the oils listed

Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat

As for ones not mentioned; I am still shopping around for that "wow" product in that category.

This list will be of great help when I am out shopping around for products. Prior to creating this list I would look for ingredients with water high on the list and no mineral oil or petroleum. Keeping my eye out for those few things did help some I am looking forward to going shopping better armed with knowledge. So when my financial fast ends I will put this to the test :)

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